The World of the Dead (reboot)
by TheHauteclaire
Summary: In a world where the dead are fought and the living are to be feared, we'll do our best to survive-no, to live. AU zombiefic (the official reboot)
1. AN

*Lengthy AN warning* (for those who read the original) (optional)

Hey guys. I… haven't been writing for a while now. But some of you used to know me as the OnyxSamurai. It's been so long that I've written anything and it's only recently that I've had the motivation to write again.

It's been a rough couple of years for me, especially the winter of 2015 when my parent's business failed and we went bankrupt. It all went downhill from there, and I suddenly found myself working two jobs to try and help my parents out.

It was only six months ago that we've become somewhat stable again, and I've considered writing again. I know, I know. I'm making reasons and junk and probably don't deserve your time ever again, but I'll try my best to finish what I've started and make it great.

I like to think that I've improved somewhat in the last two years, but then again, I'm rusty as hell and probably wouldn't be as good as I'd like to be, but trust me, I love writing and even though I suck at it, I've got that never say die spirit.

So why am I typing this on a different account under a different name? Well, that's a long story. But to make it short, I sold my laptop with all my documents and everything because the buyer said he needed a laptop quick, and I needed the money. So I guess that was dumb of me?

It didn't occur to me that anyone would read my fics though (no, the world of the dead isn't the only thing I wrote) but you could still see my previous profile.

But enough about me, I'd like to talk about the world of the dead. When I wrote this fic a long time ago, I was like "I'm gonna make an op OC with mad skillz for the lulzies" and "LOL let's make everything convenient for the characters lol" So yeah, some things are gonna change.

First off, Moriyama Shin ( the op oc with mad skillz for the lulzies) is gonna have a few things about him changed. Not much, but he won't be removed from the story. He's gonna be essential to the plot in a way that I can't replace him later on. A few nerfs and he's good.

Second, the whole thing would be told from 8man's pov. No more sharing POV's. Moriyama is gonna be around still. Didn't I also mention in the corniest ANs that I'd write form Hayama's POV? Yeah, tried that before and it sounded good but didn't work. So he'll sadly, be delegated to a side character. But don't worry, I have something planned for him :^)

The characters to Oregairu are just so complicated and Hayama is a very 'complex' character and It kicks my ass to try and write him when I clearly don't know how to. Hachiman is complex and frankly, a pain to write too, but he's the main character and I've learned how to 'write' him just by reading other fics on this site. And Moriyama? Well, he's an OC. Nuff said.

Anyway, since I won't write in Moriyama's POV anymore, I've decided to reboot some parts of this fic. Like most of the beginning and some parts later on. I'm also turning down the violence a bit. (just a bit) So it could fit into the T-rating. Having an M-rated fic just makes me uncomfortable for some reason, even though I'm the one who decided that.

So yeah, It's really nice to be able to write for you beautiful mofos again. Let's do this, eh?


	2. Prologue

Prologue

...

It's quiet.

The city of chiba, used to be teeming with life back then.

I remember my house, it wasn't too big or too luxurious, but it was a good life I had back then.

I remember biking to school every day, I remember passing by the neighbors' houses and watching and hearing them go on with their daily lives.

I remember passing by the elementary school on the way to sobu, the children were always playing and having fun. I remember everything the old world gave me, and I only now realize that I've taken it all for granted.

It's been six months.

Six months since this virus or disease or whatever the fuck it is, took everything from me.

Everything from us.

I remember holding my sister when I told her that our parents are most likely gone. And I remember the faces of everyone; they told me that we weren't just individuals connected to each other as mere classmates anymore.

We were a family now, and we protect our own. Even if it means that we'd have to do the dirty work, then we will.

Because we're gonna make it.

Because we're all we've got.

So we did it, for three months we've managed to secure most of sobu and we started to begin again. We fought off most of the dead and we've held and we've survived.

But that all changed when the first batch of survivors came. Hiratsuka-sensei was right to tell the girls to hide in secure places when these 'survivors' came.

They were monsters. Even more so than the dead that wandered outside. And for a whole week, they acted like they were kings.

Like they owned us.

It got worse. There were a group of survivors that were seeking shelter from the dead within the walls of sobu. That group made a mistake. They trusted these 'kings'.

There were five of them. Three guys, a couple of girls. I knew what was going to happen the moment they saw the girls.

They killed the men, butchered them where they stood and had their way with the women.

The worst part is, we were forced to watch. We we're told that the same thing that happened to the three men could happen to us.

It was there that I knew I was right. I was right all along.

Men are monsters. It's in our very nature to take and consume. It's in our nature to kill and crush those who stand in our way.

If we're living in this kind of world now, where the weak are crushed and those who couldn't defend themselves were subjected to the will of those who had strength.

It's how it's been; it's how it's going to be.

I understood, and needless to say, the rest of them did too.

So that night, when all of these 'kings' were fast asleep, we did what we all understood we had to do.

One by one, we covered their mouths and gently slit their throats as their eyes shot open with a look of despair. We used kitchen knives from the cooking club, pieces of shattered glass, we didn't care.

It was either them or us.

And I sure as hell ain't gonna let it be us.

* * *

The morning was a sordid mess. We dragged out their bodies and dug a mass grave for them.

Nameless and they died without a chance to even defend themselves. What a death.

I don't doubt for a second that these men were brothers, classmates, sons, heck even fathers .A loved one to a person out there.

But I don't doubt for a second that we did what we had to do, even if it did mean we'd get our hands dirty.

Because we are gonna make it.

And we're not just gonna survive, we're going to thrive.

Because in the world of the dead, it's all we'd really want.

Just to be able to live again.

...

AN: Short, I know. But don't worry, chapter 1 is gonna be pretty lengthy. It's also coming very soon.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Hikigaya-kun." A voiced called out, rousing me from my thoughts.

I turned around to find the man I used to hate the most.

"Let's move out." He said, shouldering his rifle. His blonde hair was far more unkempt than he would like, I bet.

"Yeah." I replied lamely, slinging my own bag over my shoulder.

How can I describe the relationship between us now? It confuses even me, the king of all pragmatic loners.

I still hate him, no doubt. But after everything we've been through, I find that I can't just abandon him.

Especially after everything we've been through.

I crushed the dying embers of the small fire that kept us warm the night before. Making sure nothing can be left for anyone to track us with, _especially those kinds of people._

Sure, we took shelter in a concrete building, but the living always have ways to find you.

I grabbed my own rifle resting by a wall. The rifle had a weight I felt comfortable with; making sure it was the receiver had no dirt inside to jam it.

 _And you know, so it wouldn't explode in my face._

"What else do we need?" I asked the man with me, to which he took out a crumpled list from his jacket's pocket and read through it.

"A bit more medicine, some that'll keep us going through the winter." He replied, looking through the list for probably the 100th time. "Didn't you check the map earlier, Hikigaya-kun?" He asked, looking up at me. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think saw a group of buildings that had a pharmacy among them." I replied, checking the surroundings for wandering zeeks.

"Maybe we should check them before heading back?" He asked.

"Who knows what we'll find? We might stumble upon a swarm, or worse, another group." I replied. "Besides, the buildings over there are locked together tight enough for an ideal ambush if we go by car."

"Fair point, but this could be a wasted opportunity to find something to really help them back home." He sighed. "Besides, you know how much we need those medicines."

It was my turn to sigh. True, winter was approaching and the cold was utterly unforgiving. It makes me shudder to think of what would happen should Komachi get sick and there's no medicine. My big brother senses were tingling just from that thought.

Even after the world's ended, I'm still a sis-con.

I took a deep breath. "Fine."

…

The buildings surrounding the pharmacy definitely had zeeks in them. As evident by the movement I'd see every now and again. By the edgy face Hayama was making, I could tell he had noticed them too. We were utterly quiet as we moved up the streets, making sure to check every corner to avoid being surprised by the odd zeek.

Three more zeeks in front of us, they had their backs turned which would make things easy. I could tell one of them used to be a woman, as evident of the long brown hair. Hayama swiftly took down a zeek, bringing his machete down on its skull before ripping it out and driving it into cranium of the other.

I swiftly drove my knife into the exposed portion of the head of the female zeek, the feeling of the cold black blood was there, even though I wore gloves. I ripped out my knife and gave it a quick flick to be rid of the blood. But some remained.

Better to ignore it than to overthink it.

I gave a quick nod to Hayama who was watching the street for anymore zeeks. We then continued up the street till we were just outside of the building with the pharmacy. We stacked up in front of the building before opening the door. There were white blankets and curtains covering the glass walls and door. Hayama moved to the opposite side of the door, telling me that we were doing this carefully.

You'd be surprised if a zeek suddenly decided to lunge at you and bit your face off. Very surprised.

I gave Hayama the signal to open the door, to which he did very slowly. It was unlocked, which means that something or someone was inside.

The smell of rotting corpses immediately fills my nose. I reeled back and covered my nose with my facial mask to try and put off the smell, if only a little. Beside me, Hayama merely frowned before doing the same.

I guess he was more used to it than I am.

The inside was dark, but there was obviously something dead inside. I pulled out the pistol I kept holstered beside me and turned on the flashlight. I entered the pharmacy, to which Hayama followed, closing the door behind us quietly.

There wasn't anything on the shelves of the pharmacy. There used to be, I guess. But the madness and hysteria that broke out here probably made sure this place was cleaned out. There were bodies, several of them spread out across the aisles. Some of them were half-eaten; some had bullet-wounds across their bodies. I could almost imagine what happened here if I closed my eyes.

People young and old, trampling one another in the mad scramble to take as much as they can. Oddly enough, the bodies with the bullet-wounds had no drastic visual decay on them, meaning that they died only recently. I'd estimate three, four days?

The growling nearby snapped me back into reality. A zeek was nearby. Hayama turned back to me and silently signaled me to a couple of them up ahead. One, a large male was lumbering around a freezer, another, a smaller female was busily devouring one of the 'newer' bodies.

I nodded, put the pistol on a shelf and silently moved to the larger male whilst unsheathing my knife as Hayama readied his machete to take out the smaller one. I waited until the large zeek became idle then lunged, my knife burying itself in the side of its head before it could react. It let out a weak growl before slumping to the floor, nearly dragging me with it.

I looked over to see Hayama already cleaning his machete, the silver edge glinting as the flashlight hit it. Geez, and I thought I was fast. I picked up my pistol on the shelf and started moving again, this time I was leading. The pharmacy's counter came into view; there was nothing, no zeek nor body nor pills.

Were our efforts in vain? Did we waste time that we didn't have? I jumped over the counter to look for anything, but there was nothing there.

"Damn."

Hayama jumped put his bag and rifle on the floor then jumped over the counter to join me. He looked around for a while, before his eyes seemed to lock on to a shelf. "Hikigaya-kun, help me move that shelf." He said.

I raised my eyebrow in question, but did as he asked, helping him move the shelf in question. The shelf was relatively light. But what irked me more was the resounding click that we heard when we did so.

The wall behind of the shelf revealed a seemingly camouflaged door, painted white to seem like it was part of the white wall. Hayama looked at me and nodded, opening the door very carefully.

The light from my flashlight revealed a room lined with shelves on both sides, each of them fully stocked with medicine.

Hayama hummed in satisfaction bfore turning to me, "Help me loud these, Hikigaya-kun."

I nodded. "I think it's best to take some of each." I said, moving to a nearby shelf to begin loading. "Never know what we'd need."

I loaded essential medicine in my bag, making sure to grab vitamins for the people back home. My sister in particular, was prone to catching colds. What really boggled me was how did Hayama know about the hidden room?

"How'd you know that there would be a hidden room here, Hayama?" I asked, shooting him a side glance.

He smiled an empty smile. A type of smile I knew all too well.

"My family used to own pharmacies just look this one all over the city." He said, not even looking up from the medicine he was loading. "I worked part-time here every day after school."

"Huh." I began. "I never knew the great Hayama Hayato worked part time."

He chuckled, a genuine laugh this time. "My father was a shrewd business man, you see." He said, looking through a different shelf this time. "My presence really brought female customers of all ages."

I could only smirk to that statement. Sure it was hard being as good looking as Hayama was, but think of all the benefits to it. If it were me working at a pharmacy, no customers would come and I'd be reported for smuggling drugs home or something like that.

 _I sighed, the old world was indeed unfair to people like me._

I looked through each shelf looking for more medicines we could use back home. Though I wasn't looking for anything specific, I passed by a shelf filled with…adult magazines.

 _Geez, no wonder why they had these things hidden. Perhaps I should take one or a few, for…reasons._

My God, that sounded perverted to the max. Still, I should take a couple. It would certainly help me relax at night… _if only for a moment_.

I looked over at Hayama who had his back turned to me, looking through another shelf before stuffing what felt like three of them into my bag. I did it so fast, I didn't even get to look at what I took, I mean, they had to be good, right?

"Hikigaya-kun?" Hayama suddenly called out.

I nearly jumped up in shock. "What the hell, Hayama?"

He chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd be that busy with your thoughts that I'd surprise you."

"Yeah, yeah." I replied. Good thing it was dark, it hid my reddening face well.

"Let's go, Hikigaya-kun." He said, checking his watch. "It's almost three four and I don't want to be out here when the zeeks become hyperactive."

I could only nod at that. Zeeks become incredibly active and aggressive at night, almost to the point of becoming hellish.

 _I didn't want to deal with that either._

…

We exited the pharmacy after we grabbed our rifles and sealed up the hidden room for future runs. I thought it was a bit of a shame that we couldn't take everything. Traveling on foot has its pros and cons and this was definitely a con.

We made our way back through the same street we came from, checking corners and our backs every once in a while for the occasional zeek or so. We hiked all the way back to our campsite the night before, taking off the tarpaulin that hid the car.

I pulled out the keys and we loaded the bags into the back of the van. I then got in the driver's seat while Hayama got into the seat next to me. We drove out of the unfinished cement building and down the road going home.

We were silent, not a word spoken between us unless necessary. _Sums up the relationship between us in a nutshell._

He doze off quickly still clutching his rifle, whilst my own was on the dashboard. He slept rather well despite the occasional bumping in the van from everything we've found. Makes sense, took second watch.

A few boxes of canned food, cases of soda and other drinks, some tools that can serve as weapons should they need to be, and now medicine enough to last us quite a while.

 _A good run, if you ask me. Not a single bullet shot was also an achievement._

The roads began to grow dark as the shadows grew and the sun continually sank towards the west. I stared long ahead, driving past broken down cars in the road leading further into Chiba. The road leading out of Chiba? Now that was a mess, filled to the brim with poor sods who thought that they could escape the virus. If one were to look at the cars, they might even find zeeks in them.

I took a deep breath and drove a little bit faster, it was better to think about these things in the safety of home, rather than out here where we could get shot or eaten.

It took at least ten more minutes before we actually reached Sobu, the towering building was a welcomed sight, and the thick brick walls were more than comforting to see. Especially at this hour, when the sky was gradually becoming darker and the zekes would be out in great numbers, looking for a quick bite.

I find it quite amazing that the school decided to renovate nearing the end of our second year and put up brick walls rather than the crummy fences we used to have. Never thought I'd be more grateful for a wall my entire life.

I made a turn to the entrance and stopped in front of the gate before revving my engine twice. The gates then opened, revealing a head of blonde hair and a goofy smile.

I smirked at his troll face before driving in and parking the car in the in front of the main building, him closing and locking it soon after. The moment I stopped the engine, Hayama woke up from his slumber and did a quick yawn and stretch.

"That was quick." He said, smirking.

"Not so quick for the driver." I shot back, grabbing my rifle from the dashboard.

"Oh please, you were asleep the whole day yesterday."

"Tch. Help me grab the stuff."

I got out of the van and opened the rear door. Hayama did the same whilst slinging the rifle over his shoulder. He grabbed his pack and went inside to which I followed suit. We entered with our bags in the lobby while a husky figure emerged from a nearby classroom, yawning.

"Hikigaya, Hayama, My death-defying blood brothers!" Oh God.

Hayama shot him a tired smile while I merely shot him a look that told him how lame I thought he was. But he still stood there, relatively unaffected.

"Aren't you gonna help us, Zaimokuza-kun?" Hayama asked, tired smile still there. "There's boxes of food out there that Tobe-kun is gonna need help with."

"Of course, of course. anything for my blood-brothers." He said, quickly rushing out of the glass doors.

 _Even after the whole world's ended, he's still acting all chuuni. It astounds me._

We continued walking through the halls, each step reminded who I was and everything I've done in this school. I remember the cultural festival where I confronted Sagami a few years back. That seems like forever now that I thought about it.

Days tend to pass by slowly nowadays. In a way, I was grateful for that. It's frankly worrisome to think about the future, especially when everyone's lives are involved.

We made it to the clinic just as the sun fully dipped in the western horizon. I knocked the door once and slid it open.

"Ah, Hayama-kun, Hikigaya-kun. You're both back and safe." A voice said, its owner rising from a table with a checklist on it.

Shiromeguri Meguri. She had quite the strange fixation for this room; I don't know what it is, but every time she was alone here I could see she becomes quiet. Very quiet.

"Thanks for welcoming us back, senpai."

"Yo."

She beamed at us both as we dropped our bags, she hurriedly walked to where we were, eager to see what we brought back.

"Did you two guys bring back anything good?"

I replied by opening my bag. "See for yourself."

She knelt down and immediately began to rummage through the bag, looking at each bottle and box before putting them neatly on the floor beside her.

Hayama yawned, stretching his back before turning to me, "I'm gonna go back down to help Tobe and Zaimokuza-kun." He shot Shiromeguri-senpai a look before whispering to me, "Why don't you keep Shiromeguri-senpai company? She looks like she need it."

I shouldn't be surprised that he knew about Shiromeguri-senpai too, but I was.

Hayama gave me a small smile and put his hand on my shoulder before leaving, sliding the door closed behind him.

Shiromeguri turned back to me. "Where did Hayama-kun go?"

"He has to go help the others." I replied.

"How about you, Hikigaya-kun?"

"I think I'll keep you company, senpai."

She beamed brightly at me, her smile was akin to a bright ray of sunshine. It made the whole room seem so much warmer.

I think I will stay for a while.

I sat on clinic's bed as Shiromeguri-senpai still dug through the bag, humming a familiar song. It was strangely warm in here and the bed was kinda comfortable. I think I'll lie down for a while.

I nearly dozed off when Shiromeguri-senpai suddenly gasped.

My eyes shot open and I grabbed the knife at my belt and I shot up at lightning speed. My eyes immediately moved to where Shiromeguri-senpai was, still kneeling down.

Did something happen? What could it be?

"Uh…senpai…?"

"Hikigaya-kun, you naughty boy." She started, turning around eerily slowly with an almost frightening grin on her face."

She held a bottle of pills, which I couldn't understand at all. Is something wrong with the pills?

"What's wrong with the pills, senpai…?"

Her creepy smile grew even wider, which I didn't know was possible. "Read them, Hikigaya-kun." She said, throwing the bottle of pills at me.

I caught it mid-air, skimming most of the things written on it but one line in particular caught my eye.

" _Prevent accidents from happening."_

I immediately froze. I grabbed birth control pills? I looked over at Shiromeguri-senpai, her smile still dangerously wide.

 _It's not what it looks like senpai!_

"I..uh…"

"Oh Hikigaya-kun, just who were you planning on giving that to?"

 _Red alert! Red alert!_

She stood up, slowly walking towards me until she was right in front of me. The creepily wide smile never leaving.

"Are you planning one messing around with anyone in particular, Hikigaya-kun?"

"No…" I started. "It was simply a mistake, senpai." I calmly tied to explain, hoping Shiromeguri-senpai would listen to reason.

Her smile slowly lost its creepy edge, but it was still there.

"Are you saying that you don't find any of the girls around here attractive?" She said, striking a thinking pose. "Or maybe you swing a different way?" She smiled, a teasing edge to it.

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm straight." I scoffed. "Besides, all the girls here are too sky high above my league for me to be even entertaining such a thing."

"So you're saying you find us attractive?"

"Yes, unbelievably so." I shot back, confident in my answer.

Oh wait… crap. _Code blue! I repeat, Code blue!_

Shiromeguri-senpai moved close. Far too close for my comfort. "Do you find _me_ attractive, Hikigaya-kun?"

 _Landmine!_ She and the demon queen spend far too much time together nowadays.

"Uh…" I had to choose my answer carefully, saying the wrong thing at this point could get me killed.

"Yes… I find you very pretty, Shiromeguri-senpai."

 _Boom, target destroyed._

A tinge of pink and red adorned her face as she smiled bashfully.

 _Heh, cute._

Suddenly, she moved even closer, our faces right beside each other. I could feel her hot breath tickling my ear.

"I wouldn't mind you giving me those pills and doing certain _things_ to me, Hikigaya-kun." She whispered, moving back immediately.

 _Brain overloading. Danger! Danger!_

My mind was completely fried. I couldn't even think of a reply or even an excuse for my reddening face.

 _How the hell was I supposed to reply to that?_

I was snapped out of my monologue by her giggling.

 _Crap, I let myself get played._

Her giggling turned into a full blown laughter.

 _Haha, very funny._

"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun." She said, between laughs. "It's just something that Haruno once taught me.

 _Of course, who else can teach Shiromeguri-senpai that?_

"Idiot." I said, giving her a light karate chop to the head, "You're gonna give someone a heart attack like that!"

She rubbed her head. "Ow…" she wined. "I was only kidding, Hikigaya-kun, please forgive me!" She said dramatically.

"Yeah, yeah." I replied, patting her head, to which she hummed contently, the small smile she had making me feel relaxed.

 _At least the bad part was behind me now. Good thing I hid those magazines in a different compartment, or else I'd be dead._

That was, until the door slid open.

"Hikigaya-kun." A voice called out.

Her long, silky black hair was so familiar to me. Her perfectly shaped, beautiful face and slender form was a sight to behold, even back then.

Her cerulean eyes were the most beautiful thing about her to me.

 _She was as breathtaking as ever_

Yukinoshita Yukino.

Hm… she doesn't look too thrilled to see me. I wonder why?

 _Oh wait…shit not again._

I now remember how close Shiromeguri-senpai was and my hand that was still on her head.

 _The bottle of birth control pills didn't help either._

She glared icy daggers cold enough to freeze my insides.

 _I'm screwed. Soooo screwed._

"Mind explaining what you were doing to Shiromeguri-san, Hikirapist-kun?"

 _Oi! It wasn't my plan to get her so close!_

"Relax, Yukino-chan. I was only teasing Hikigaya-kun."

"If he's threatened you, Shiromeguri-san, it's okay. You're safe now."

 _Quit treating me like a criminal, damnit!_

"No seriously, Yukino-chan. We were just playing a bit." Shiromeguri-senpai said, shooting me a wink.

 _That does not help at all!_

Yukinoshita turned to me with eyes that told me that I wasn't out of the deep waters quite yet.

"Anyways, Hikimolester-kun, Hiratsuka-sensei told me to come get you." Yukinoshita said.

"Again with the names?"

"I don't know what you're referring to, Hikisexual-predator-kun."

Our banter was interrupted by Shiromeguri-senpai's giggling. "You two should go. It's best not to keep Hiratsuka-sensei waiting."

Yukinoshita immediately turned her back to me and headed through the door. "Agreed."

"Y-yeah." I replied, walking after her.

…

The walk there was awkward as hell.

Neither of us had spoken a word for the entirety of the journey.

I could tell she was angry, but for what exactly? I couldn't really tell, it's not like she's jealous, right?

I walked behind her. With every step she took her long black hair swashed left and right. It's kind of like playing a dangerous game when you're with Yukinoshita Yukino.

She's like snow, utterly beautiful. But she was also like a blizzard, cold enough to give you frostbites just by a single glare.

She doesn't really compare to her sister, but she was still terrifying in her own right.

"What took you so long, Hikigaya-kun?" She asked, not even turning around to face me.

Her voice was shaky, as if any moment she could break.

"It took us a while to find everything we needed, and more." I simply replied.

"…You made me worry, Hikigaya-kun…" She whispered, thinking I couldn't hear it, but I did.

"Sorry." I replied.

She turned around to face me, her eyes red. It was as if I had cracked the porcelain mask that hid the real Yukinoshita Yukino.

"Sorry? Do you know how much you've made me worry?"

'It can't be helped." I said, trying to explain it to her rationally. "It's best for the group, after all."

"You said that you would be back later that day!" She nearly screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I thought something happened to you…How would I even know if you got hurt or worse...?"

I pulled her close to me, wrapping my arms around her neck.

"Sorry." I said again.

Her arms wrapped around my waist as she buried her head into my chest.

"Stupid…pervert…Hachiman." She said, her words muffled by my chest.

 _Oi, my name isn't an insult._

"It's going to be fine. Remember the promise I made to you? To Yuigahama?"

She looked up at me, the tears in her eyes magnifying her angel-like beauty.

"Yes." She replied.

"Well, I intend to keep it, no matter what."

She smiled, a genuine smile.

 _She looks so much more beautiful this way._

"You're still gonna explain to me what Shiromeguri-san meant by play and that wink, Hikipervert-kun."

 _There's the Yukinoshita I know. I'm gonna get her back for that insult though._

We continued walking, this time her hand clutched in mine.

So what did this mean? Did I trigger some sort of flag?

In this world, it didn't mean anything. It wasn't romance, but something beyond that.

Was it something genuine? I don't know. I honestly didn't.

But I still wanna keep what we have.

…

We arrived at where the teacher's lounge used to be.

Now it was where Hiratsuka –sensei set up shop, her 'domain' so to speak.

Yukinoshita let go of my hand before knocking on the door. We heard a voice say 'come in' before we entered.

Hiratsuka-sensei sat there behind a desk, looking over a list of supplies. She looked up at us, smiling as she did.

"Oh, took you two a while to get here."

She still looked the same as ever, save the eye bags and the massive revolver on the table in front of her.

Yukinoshita's cheeks immediately turned scarlet when she heard that, the events that played out earlier in the hall still fresh within our minds.

I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up too.

Yukinoshita cleared her throat before speaking, "You wanted to see Hikigaya-kun, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

"Yes, that's correct." Hiratsuka-sensei said. "But I wanted to speak with Hikigaya alone."

Yukinoshita seemed taken aback by Hiratsuka-sensei's statement, but nodded and began to exit the room.

"Yukinoshita." I called her, to which she turned back to me.

"I'll see you later." I said, giving her a small smile which she returned.

"Goodbye for now, Hikigaya-kun." She waved, before sliding the door open and stepping out.

When the door slid closed, I turned back to Hiratsuka-sensei, her face now completely serious. I could tell what she was about to tell me was not a joking matter.

"You wanted to talk, sensei?"

"Yes, about today…" She started, "You two had a good run, nice job."

"Yeah. Thanks to Hayama, we were able to find the medicine we needed."

She sighed, "You give yourself to little effort, Hikigaya."

"I literally didn't do anything, It was Hayama's call and Hayama's success." I replied.

"He couldn't have watched his back alone." She shot back.

 _Good point._

"What I wanted to talk to you about was why you two took so long."

I see. _Time to come clean._

"It wasn't the searching that took us so long, sensei." I began, "It was the zeeks."

Her eyebrow cocked, "How so?" she asked.

"They're aggressive, far more aggressive than they are during day." I said, just the sheer talking of it made me uncomfortable. "It was too dangerous last night, the zeeks took up the entire road."

"A swarm?" She asked.

"Worse, there were hundreds of them out last night."

Hiratsuka-sensei brought up her hand and stroked her chin, "Hm…Hayama told me the same thing."

"He was here earlier?"

"How do you think I know about the run?"

 _Fair point._

My eyebrows furrowed, "Then why did you ask why we took so long?"

"Because I wanted to hear it from _you,_ Hikigaya."

I scoffed. "My opinion doesn't matter all too much."

"It does, Hikigaya." She sighed. "You're an invaluable asset here, and we'd be crippled without you."

 _Oh sure._

"That's all I really wanted to talk to you about, Hikigaya." She said, looking back to her list. "You can go now."

I nodded, "Thank you, sensei." Before turning my back and sliding the door open.

I stepped out of the lounge and slid the door closed behind me.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I didn't eat a single thing today. Perhaps I'll head over to the kitchen now, find myself something to eat.

…

The school cafeteria was the now known as the dining hall, but I just called it the 'kitchen'.

'Kitchen' isn't that far from the truth, so it stuck.

The halls leading to the kitchen had some windows that weren't covered up, unlike the bottom which was boarded up with wood and metal plates, so you would have a view up here as opposed to the bottom floor.

The halls were lit by the occasional light, we didn't have the energy to power the whole school, and the solar panels on the roof could only provide so much energy.

We saved energy for an escape plan if we ever needed to.

As the halls led closer and closer to the 'kitchen', the smell of something being fried permeated in the air, creating an aroma that made me even hungrier.

 _Is this what it felt like to be a zeek when it had cornered a human?_

That was a surprisingly dark thought.

I opened the doors to the cafeteria, unlock the other doors in the building, this was a conventional push and close door.

The 'kitchen' was surprisingly empty. It wasn't empty per se, there were few people walking around and still preparing. I just expected that everyone would be here by now.

I see Hayama sitting on a table near the food by himself, Miura pouring newly cooked soup into a bowl in another part of the room. Other than that, I see-

"Hikki!"

Wow, she found me fast.

Yuigahama Yui. One of the two people I poured my heart to back during the days of the old world. Her hair was longer now, which I admit was a lot more beautiful than her with the shoulder length hair.

Not like she needed it, she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, let alone form a meaningful bond with.

She no longer wore her hair in a bun, instead letting it fall freely to the top of her spine. If she did this with her hair back then, I bet a lot more people would have hated me and would have been jealous that she wanted to spend so much time with me.

Life is strange, especially if you jump in and save a girl's dog.

"Oi, I'm not a teddy bear." I said, trying to pretend that I didn't see Hayama's odd looks and Miura's blazing glare.

"I missed you, Hikki." She said, only burying her face further into my chest.

"Yeah, yeah. We can catch up while I get something to eat."

"…Umhmm"

"….I need you to let go, Yuigahama."

She nearly jumped back at my statement, almost jumping. Her face heated up immediately, the scarlet tinge making her even more of a breathtaking sight.

"R-Right." She said, looking bashfully at the floor.

 _Are you trying to get me to fall in love with you, airhead?_ _Too bad I'm immune to that._

"Sit with us, Hikki!" she said, bashfulness now gone as she took my hand, dragging me to where Hayama sat.

"Why there?" I said in protest, "There's dozens of tables in here."

"Oh hush, Hikki." She replied, never deterred. "We all sit together, remember?"

 _I do, I just pretend not to. And I'm not a dog for you to just drag around, woman._

Yuigahama completely dragged me to where Hayama and Miura were now sitting, both of them pretending not to notice the airhead drag me to where they were.

She sat me down, more like forced me down, on the seat next to Miura, as she scurried over and sat opposite of me.

The table in front of me had a variety of food, a bowl of rice.

 _The usual_

Sardines.

 _Came from a can._

Beans

 _Also came from a can._

And soup, mushroom soup.

Surprising, considering the amount of canned of food we had. Not really healthy, but when everything else wants to eat your face outside, canned food sounded like a five-star meal.

I took the plate Yuigahama handed me and a spoon, then took some of everything on the table, before inhaling it.

"Wow, didn't know you were so hungry, Hikigaya-kun." Hayama called, across the table.

"I didn't eat anything the whole day."

"Doesn't give you a reason to eat so hastily, Hikkitani." Miura said, turning to me. "You'll choke on your own food, is that really how you wanna go?"

 _A, my name is Hikigaya, we've established that a million times now. B, I'm a pro at this._

I simply settled with being quiet and stuffing my face with food, trying to pretend that I'm not hearing the melodic giggling of Yuigahama from across me.

 _Heh, cute._

The door to the 'kitchen' opened as three figures came in, but I didn't turn, I couldn't. The food before me was heavenly.

A loud gasp and then a loud "Gomii-chan!" resounded, followed by the sound of steps.

 _I'm not tra-_

I barely managed to balance as a weight hit me full force at the side. Said weight had shoulder-length black hair whose color is similar to mine.

I could suddenly feel arms wrap around my neck before I was suddenly being choked to death. It's my dear imouto, all right.

 _Geez, are you trying to kill me?!_

"Stupid…trash…idiot…Hachiman!" My sister yelled.

 _Why's my name an insult all of the sudden?!_

"As much as your statements are true, Komachi-san, It wouldn't be very beneficial to us if you choked him to death." Yukinoshita said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Knock it off, kids." Hiratsuka-sensei said, walking up to our table. "I'm starving, where's the food?"

The sound of collective laughter resounded through the room as three more chairs were added to our table. Yukinoshita put her chair next to mine. Komachi took a chair next to her and Hiratsuka-sensei sat next to Miura.

There were a few of us still missing; obviously some of us had to keep watch.

As they ate rambunctiously and talked to each other animatedly, I can't help but feel at ease. I used to hate it, but now it feels as if it'd be empty without the noise. Even I couldn't help but grin.

After everything we've been through and the fact that we could die any time we stepped outside, it was a real miracle that we could be like this.

Perhaps this was why it wasn't really a loss to work, if this was the end result.

The smiles, the laughs, the dirty jokes flying left and right.

We could die at any moment, we know that.

At any moment, the zeeks could barrel through the gate and swarm this place.

But what we had here, this is genuine. This is real.

And perhaps this was what 'living' really looked like.

…

…

…

The nights in chiba were cold.

Its night air blew harshly this time of the year, as winter approached and it didn't help that we were so close to the sea.

I stood on top of a building across a high school, Sobu, its name.

At this distance, it looked as if it were abandoned and desolate. But if you were to look long enough, you'd make out lights moving through the some of the higher level's windows.

Sloppy.

From here, I can make out a van, possibly to haul supplies like food and such.

Food nowadays was a subjective term. Once again, human beings prove themselves as being harder to kill than cockroaches. Cannibals, they were everywhere nowadays. They even have some sort of group up north.

Who could say that the people inhabiting the school in front of me were any different? They could be armed to the teeth and starving for all I know.

And I could be their next meal.

The throbbing in my head was an ever-present reminder that I was starving. They had to have something.

It was risky, of course. But then again, everything nowadays was a risk.

And should I fail and they decide that I'd make a fine snack, then so be it. That's how the world worked now.

I've made my choice. It was safer in there than it was out here.

A loud growl disturbed me from my musings. I unsheathed the katana I held in the blink of an eye.

I sidestepped and slashed at a lunging zeek in one motion, separating the head from its shoulders.

There were five of them, the night making them more aggressive for some reason. The nearest one to me lunged but I saw that coming a mile away. I thrust my katana straight through its eye and ripped it out before separating the head on another one, it didn't even have time to react.

They were faster, more aggressive at night.

More silent, like nocturnal predators.

But I'm faster, I'm stronger.

Two remained, growling at me, the telltale signs of the dangerous lunge that has taken down so many there, but I beat them to it.

With a step forward and an adjustment to my grip on the blade, my swing's arc was wider, stronger.

The swing split both of the remaining zeek's head in two, as the bodies fell limply at my feet.

Blood.

The sickening black liquid that pooled at my feet made my boots feel sticky.

It made me feel alive. So alive.

I'm still heading towards that school. I need to.

If it needed to happen, then I'd kill everyone in the building. Men, women, even children If I need to.

It was either them, or me.

AN:

 **Sorry it took so long, guys. But it's finally here.**

 **I have no excuses, just work to do.**

 **I'm currently busy writing the second chapter of my other fic, so stay tuned for that.**

 **If you're feeling helpful, drop me a review as to what you think so far. Or not, I don't really care.**

 **I'm here to write, the lack of reviews won't really deter me.**


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The winds blew gently over the roof; the chilly breeze was a constant reminder that winter was coming, the very first winter where society as a whole ceased to exist.

I snuggled against my thick blue jacket, flexing my fingers through the thick gloves to prevent the cold from building up.

Through unforeseen circumstances, I've been delegated by the majority of the populace to be on first watch, unwillingly, I may add.

 _A giggling Shiromeguri entered the kitchen with holding what seems like magazines on her chest._

 _I drank my water, 'she's probably being just Shiromeguri.'_

" _Look what I found in Hikigaya-kun's bag~" she sing-sang to everybody in the room._

 _What is she talking about…oh crap._

 _The 'adult' magazines I took from the pharmacy's hidden room were thrown on the table in front of all of us._

 _The collective stare of everyone in the room on the magazines was accompanied by a silence thicker than a concrete wall, before everyone's glare turned to me._

" _Mind explaining this..Hikiscum-of-the-earth-kun?" Yukinoshita shot me the coldest glare imaginable_

"… _I didn't know you kept stuff like this, gomii-chan." Komachi said, the toothy grin she showed me was a sign that she's about to enjoy the pain I was about to receive._

" _Idiot..Hachiman!" Yuigahama yelled from across the table._

" _Oh..isn't that something." Hiratsuka-sensei said, looking up from her food before resuming eating. "You're dead, kid."_

 _Meanwhile beside me, Miura fixed me with a glare enough that would burn me into ash if glares could burn._

 _The looks turned away from me as Hayama lost his shit and started laughing like a maniac. "Oh, as much as I'd like to see Hachiman getting ripped into pieces, I think I'll excuse myself for tonight." He said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes as he stood up from the table._

" _Me too." I said, before a hand on my shoulder stopped me from going anywhere._

" _You're not excused, Hikideadman-kun." Yukinoshita said, a dangerous glint in her eyes._

 _I gulped._

…

After talking myself out from being fed to the zeeks outside, a more merciful punishment was given to me, first watch.

It wasn't so bad; the top of the school was a good place to see everything, and to think. A genuine blessing, given how hectic life has been these past six months.

Where do I even begin? The whole thing has been a rollercoaster ride of running and zeek killing, that it seems easier to think less about all of it. I don't even monologue as much as I used to, or I'd risk having my face bitten of by a zeek.

I sighed. It was a lot better to think less about all the madness that's happened and I thought less about the day it all turned into hell. It was better that way, I'd save myself the migraine from trying to remember it, and the pain from losing everything.

 _Not like I lost all that much to begin with._

 _Hayama's clique lost so much more than I did. They lost the two other members in their group, Ooka and Yamato, to the carnage in the halls._

 _They ran to the service club, our only saving grace was that we were in an isolated hall that not many came to in the first place._

 _I scoffed. While I was more fortunate that most, I've suffered unquestionable losses as well._

 _I lost the life I led, as lonely as it was; it was still a relatively comfortable life. I lost my parents, though they were never home, I still loved them as much as any kid would love their parents._

 _And I lost someone dear to me that day._

 _I didn't see all too well, but she was swarmed by the newly-infected zeeks. I couldn't save her, I wasn't fast enough._

 _And I wasn't brave enough._

 _The student council room was broken through, everyone inside was ripped to pieces as they gave into their despair, some jumping to their deaths as an alternative to getting devoured by those they perceived as their friends just that same day._

 _She didn't come to the service club that day, saying that she needed to learn to do things on her own._

 _When we cleared the building, we looked through the corpses littering the room; I looked each and every one of them over to see if any of them were her._

 _But I couldn't find anything, not even a trace of her existence._

I shook my head, _it was no use thinking over such things._

Especially when it's about her.

 _But every time I close my eyes, I still thought about her. Despite all the rejections, despite all the teasing, she was still dear to me._

 _And I treasure everything we had._

…

The door to the roof opened, the low creaking of the door waking me from the thoughts of her that threatened to consume me.

"Hikitani-kun?" a goofy voice called.

Really? Hikitani?

I turned around to see Tobe walking over to where I was, plopping down on the floor next to me as he fished out a chocolate bar out of his breast pocket.

He ripped the wrapper open and took a bite, offering some to me, to which I shook my head in response.

He just sat there, silent. Eyes never leaving the chocolate bar. The look in his eyes was one that I've seen often, especially when I stared in the mirror.

Dead.

He didn't talk much about what he lost, not even to Hayama or Miura or anyone else. What could he be thinking? I wouldn't know. We were in the same class in the third year, much like we were a couple of years prior, but we were never close.

Hell, I didn't want anything to do with this guy before the crap hit the fan.

"Hey Hikitani-kun.." Tobe said, breaking the silence of the night that consumed us after a while. "…Do you think there is a place out there without any of them?"

"Without any of the zeeks?" I asked. "Maybe."

"Yeah!" Tobe cheered up, "Maybe Japan's the only affected country!"

 _Just Japan? The sheer naivety in that statement was vintage Tobe._

The population and the amount of tourists going in and out of Japan back then was a guarantee that Japan wasn't the only place that's affected by this damned virus.

If that wasn't bad enough, we haven't heard anything from the government in over five months now, If there was even a government left now.

The only 'help' that was last sent our way was a platoon of soldiers, garrisoning off some streets and buildings in a feeble attempt to stop the spreading virus, they even had their own 'base' a few miles from here, but not even that lasted.

Whether it was ignorance on their part of how the infected worked, or the unwillingness to shoot their own soldiers, they were wiped out. Leaving behind the equipment and firearms we now had.

I didn't have the heart to tell Tobe about the reality of the situation we now faced, or how fucked everything really was.

 _The old me would have given the current me a kick in the ass and a slap on the face._

 _But I...can't do that. I can't tell him, I can't be that cruel anymore. I can't be that anymore._

 _I can't let them give in to their despair._

 _I want us to live. Was that so wrong?_

…

The zeeks outside of the wall were active, judging by the way they moved. They scampered at jogging speeds, trying to find their next food source.

I took my flashlight and flashed it on and off in the direction of the gate twice, hoping that two flashes would be my reply.

Two quick flashes came from the gates direction, I sighed in relief at that.

 _It was always worth sighing in relief to know we were safe._

Tobe fell asleep leaning on the cement wall, he must have been tired watching the gate the whole day.

It doesn't really matter, it was a lazy night tonight, despite the zeeks prowling about. I walked over to the other side of the roof, the field behind the school was dark, lit only by the moonlight, and the mound was visible.

I flashed my flashlight twice in the direction of the makeshift guard house near the mound, hoping that two flashes would be my reply.

 _But nothing came._

I waited another couple of minutes before flashing my flashlight twice again, but still nothing came.

Maybe _she_ was slacking off again, nothing too bad, I'm just gonna go check up on her to see if she was alright.

I walked over Tobe and gave him a light shake, stirring him awake as his eyes, red from tiredness, shot open.

"Sorry, Hikitani-kun... I must have dozed off."

I shook my head. "No, it's fine." I replied, "Just keep watch until I get back."

His eyes grew wide. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know." I replied, drawing my pistol and cocked it before putting it back in its holster on my belt. "I'm just gonna go check." I shot him a questioning look. "You do know what to do when you see three flashes in the direction of the guard tower?"

"I alert everyone down stairs." He replied.

I smirked. "And here I thought you can never remember what Hiratsuka-sensei said."

"I'm not that dumb." Tobe whined, "Not cool, bro. Not cool at all."

I shook my head and started for the door, my pistol still firm in my grip.

 _Please let nothing bad happen…_

…

The path to the makeshift guard tower was a straight shot to the other side of the campus. The guard tower in question was a three story-tall structure that we built a couple of months ago to monitor the other side of the wall that we couldn't see from the top of the main building.

Walking there at night is an…unpleasant affair, to say the least.

 _It's goddamn creepy is what it is._

The flash light in my hand barely lit the path; instead the moon was the main source of light. It's safer if we didn't use so much light as we could risk being spotted at any moment by whoever could pose a threat to our lives.

 _It is practical, but it's scary as hell._

The wind blew strong cold winds here, the only sound I can hear is its whistling. The hair at the back of my head stood and I had that intense feeling that I was being watched.

I gripped my pistol tighter, _What if a zeek had gotten in?_ That wouldn't be good, not at all.

What was I thinking? Of course a zeek wouldn't have entered, if any had, it would be spotted by now by the patrols around the school.

But I can't shake the feeling that I was being watched _. It's strange._

I ignored it and walked on, _it might just be my imagination._

I arrived at the guard tower; it was dark with a dim lantern the only thing illuminating the bottom floor. I climbed up the wooden ladder, knocking on the wooden trapdoor to see if anyone was upstairs.

It wasn't opened, meaning no one was here. It wasn't locked either, as I opened it and climbed up into the top floor, no one.

 _Huh, where could she be?_

Perhaps she got bored and wandered off; she tends to do that more often nowadays.

I checked the other side of the wall, the zeeks were scampering around, some of them clawing at the thick brick wall to no avail. It was a lazy night by definition.

I sighed, she always made it a point to annoy me, even unintentionally.

 _Or maybe it was intentional? And she knew I was first watch and didn't respond so I would come find her and it would ultimately annoy me, a brilliant plan, but I knew better._

I flashed my flashlight twice at the main building's direction, immediately receiving two flashes as a reply. _So he hasn't dozed off again, that's a surprise._

I climbed down the ladder and closed the trapdoor above me, it was always a hassle to try and find _her._

 _It's like hide and seek is her favorite game. Unbelievable._

She's good at it, no doubt.

I started walking in the direction of the tennis court in the off chance that she would be there, who knows? She just might be there.

The wind blew a cold breeze, it was cold.

I suddenly felt like I was being watched again, I just can't place it, but it feels like I'm being watched from the direction of the indoor pool.

 _Should I go check?_ Who knows, I just might end up finding _her_ there too.

I walked over to the indoor pool; the 'storehouse' is what I called it now. We kept everything that wasn't consumable in there, from unused stuff to building materials. I checked if the door was locked like it usually is.

 _Surprise, surprise, it isn't._

Still, it's better if I check, and I'm not gonna just wander in like an idiot unarmed. I took out my pistol and turned on the flashlight that was attached to it, time to enter.

 _Before I do that, it's best if I let Tobe know. Never know what I might find inside other than unused stuff and building materials._

I gave the roof of the school three flashes, which should be enough to get Tobe's attention and make everyone alert of where I was going.

I took a deep breath before going in, my pistol raised as I entered the door.

The hall leading to the pool and the locker room was empty; the flashlight I held dispelled the shadows in the room, revealing nothing out of place. Though there were windows in the halls, the moon was covered by clothes, making it dark for an indefinite period of time.

I think it's best to check the pool before the locker rooms first, it's somewhat safer that way, seeing as how wide the pool room was.

I opened the door to the pool room slowly, making sure to check my corners.

The indoor pool was a wide area that held a pool that was used in competitive competitions back then. Hell, I hadn't ever been here in the duration of my second year. The pool was emptied out as to reduce the risk of mosquitos or whatever from breeding and causing all sorts of problems from arising.

I raised my pistol to the bleachers beside the pool, the flashlight attached to my handgun giving light to where I needed to see.

So far, nothing.

The feeling that I was being watched was definitely stronger now. The silence within the room was eerie, like I could hear a pin drop from the farthest section of the room from where I stood.

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement. A shadow.

I turned my pistol in its direction as fast as I could, the flashlight on the handgun revealing nothing but the white painted wall.

 _What if there really was something in here? Wait, weren't reinforcements supposed to be here by now?_

There was that feeling of being watched again, this time coming from the male locker room.

 _This wasn't a good Idea, not at all._

But what if it's just my hyperactive imagination, seeing things that weren't there because of sleep deprivation?

Only one way to find out, _though_ _I hope someone comes by soon._

I walked beside the pool and in front of the bleachers to where the locker rooms were connected, at the very corner of the room, as far from the door as possible. I checked behind my shoulder every ten steps, making sure that nothing throttled me while I was playing the unaware fool.

 _That would be a shitty way to die._

The locker rooms were a strange place, tightly compacted and minimalistic in terms of space, it was a terrible Idea to enter alone considering how little room there was to maneuver, but it made it easier for me to search because of how small the spaces were and how wide the light my flashlight was emitting.

There was nothing inside, at least, visually. But the feeling of being watched was getting stronger and stronger as I stepped further into the locker room.

My pistol was tight in my grip, I could feel the sweat on my back starting to pour, a cold sweat.

The locker room was especially dark; there was no other way external light could enter except through a small window at the very back.

I checked every corner, feeling tenser as If something could pounce on me at any moment.

With every shadow and corner of the room illuminated and revealing nothing, I moved further and further into the back, the silence that hung in the air was maddening, as if this was a prelude to something coming at me.

I stopped at the entrance to the showers, the feeling was overwhelming now, _there was someone or something inside, and I just knew it._

The thing about the showers was that they were so close to one another, separated by stalls. It'd be impossible to do a wide check since the light wouldn't be able to illuminate through the stalls, so checking corner by corner was necessary.

But I'm not gonna do that.

I stomped at the tiles with my boot, the sound resonating throughout the locker room and possible even the pool area, if whatever was watching me was a zeek, it would've come out by now and attempt to eat my face, but there was nothing.

 _No sound, no zeek, nothing._

I walked slowly throughout the shower room, my pistol up and ready to blast whatever's head was coming at me.

But my search resulted in nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

 _Huh, I guess it was just my imagination after all._

The feeling of being watched was replaced with reassurance, the reassurance of knowing that it was just my imagination. I sighed in relief.

 _I think I'll go to bed as soon as I let Tobe and everyone else know that it's safe. Maybe I'll head over to the guard tower to check if she's back at her post._

I yawned, I guess I really am just sleepy after all.

I turned and walked out of the shower and locker room, emerging into the pool area.

 _What time was it again?_

I checked my watch, 11:37 PM.

 _If I play my cards right, I might be able to sleep in tomorrow._

I walked beside the pool, humming a song I've heard from Yukinoshita when she does cleaning. I looked up at the roof, the glass ceiling revealed a full moon, the light making the whole room not so dark anymore. I turned off the flashlight on my pistol and holstered it, _there's no need for it anymore._

I walked out of the pool area into the halls that led to the exit and into the male and female locker room, stopping dead in my tracks as a thought occurred to me.

… _I didn't check the female locker room._

Suddenly I feel like I was being watched again, this time so much closer.

As if whoever's watching was right beside me…

I turned my head slowly.

A figure was watching me from the dark entrance of the female locker room. It was tall, and emanating an aura of malevolence.

I took a step back slowly, whatever it was; it wasn't a figment of my imagination.

It wasn't just a harmless shadow we see at the corner of our eyes.

It was real, and if I don't act soon, I'm a dead man.

My hand moved slowly to my handgun as I stepped back, as if the figure knows what I'm doing, it started moving towards me, slowly, as if it were a predator stalking its prey.

My hand found the grip of the handgun holstered at my side. _Game over._

I drew the pistol as fast as I can. Whatever it was, it's as good as dead.

Suddenly, I felt a powerful kick hit me in the stomach, sending me flying into a pillar whilst making me drop my handgun, winding me.

I groaned as my back and stomach ached in pain. My hands shot up to cover my stomach in a feeble attempt to contain the numbing sensation.

I could barely open my eyes as the figure stood walked slowly towards me, the moonlight illuminating my attacker's features.

He was a tall man, a little taller than Hayama, He was clad in a dark leather jacket and posed a menacing figure. What really made me want to give in to my despair was the blade he held.

A katana, it reflected the moonlight in a malicious glint, drawn exclusively to execute me.

His face was obscured by the shadows, but his eyes were perfectly visible. The look in them was far too familiar to me. They belonged to a man ready to kill.

I struggled to move, the pain on my back and stomach was far too overwhelming for me to make a quick escape anywhere. My pistol was on the floor, my attacker kicked it farther away, now impossible to reach from where I was. In other words, I was a sitting duck, ready to be slaughtered like a common animal.

 _Crap, is this how it's really going to end?_

I still had many things I wanted to do and see; will I never get to find that 'genuine' I've sought for so long?

He had no intention to show mercy, his slow walk was a cruel taunt, as if he found euphoria in my pain and despair.

I closed my eyes, my final thoughts on the people that survived with me for so long. My sister, Hiratsuka-sensei, the service club… and our promise…

I waited for the killing blow to come, but it never came. As if my attacker wanted to see me break before killing me.

I opened my eyes slowly, my attacker stopped in front of the exit. The look in his eyes told me that everything I thought about him was to the contrary.

There was no malice in his eyes, no pleasure nor killing intent.

Instead there was a whirlwind of things going through them, and if I looked closely, there was pity in them.

 _And was that…guilt?_

He didn't raise his blade, instead opting to watch what I wanted to do.

I didn't dare move a muscle, not an inch. The pain in my stomach and back was still there, but even so, I didn't even let out a grunt in pain as it got worse.

My attacker suddenly tensed and I was once more afraid for my life. But instead of shooting forward and ending my existence, He stepped back as another blade narrowly missed from skewering his side, the newcomer katana and its owner shooting into the room.

 _She_ recovered and turned towards my attacker, her katana and wakizashi positioned into a dueling stance as she stood before me.

"Try and find your second wind, eh Hikigaya-kun?" _She_ cheekily said.

Yukinoshita Haruno. Just as every bit as much of a manipulating deviant as she was back then. Her hair reached her shoulders now, covering her shoulder pads that were connected to her fitting but thick jacket.

 _I'd never thought I'd say this, but I'm so glad to see her._

"Just lie still there, Hikigaya-kun." She said, her eyes never leaving my attacker, "I'll finish this."

 _Yes, please do.  
_ An aura of malevolence once again surrounded my attacker as he adopted an overhead stance, dropping his katana's sheathe. He tensed, as if any moment he'd shoot forward to end us both in a single swing.

If he thought Yukinoshita Haruno was an easy opponent, he was going to be sorry. _Very sorry._

Yukinoshita Haruno and the attacker stared each other down, as if daring the other to take the first move.

The attacker's eyes no longer held any pity or guilt. The only thing left in them was conviction. I even felt a little bit intimidated by the look he held, telling me that he was more than ready to strike us down and kill us both if necessary.

Yukinoshita Haruno didn't back down, she probably sees more than I do in his eyes, more than ready to pierce his heart with her blade.

The staredown lasted for a full minute; neither of them moved a muscle, waiting for the other to drop their guards before striking. The pain in my back and stomach faded, as I crawled away slowly from the danger zone. I would only end up getting in Haruno's way and getting skewered in the worst way possible.

It was only when my attacker furrowed his brow did he attack.

He stepped forward, swinging his blade in a wide arc that faster than I could've reacted to. If that were me, my head would've been split into two.

But it was Yukinoshita Haruno that was being talked about; she merely stepped back and responded with a thrust of her own, the wakizashi nearly piercing his skull if he wasn't as fast as he was.

The two circled one another in the hall, like two alpha predators ready to go at each other for dominance.

This time, it was Haruno who lunged forward, her swords slashing in opposite directions, like a scissor.

The attacker back stepped, countering with an overhead slash that would have split her head into two if she didn't parry the blow.

The attacker grunted in frustration, the anger starting to build up in his features. He sent a quick slash aimed for the elder Yukinoshita's throat, but it was parried.

A thrust that would've run straight through Haruno, but it was sidestepped.

He was faster than Haruno, I could tell. Far stronger too.

But when it comes to Yukinoshita Haruno, she didn't have to be faster or stronger. Every move she made was calculated, measured to the tiniest detail. Her earlier attempts at attacking were only her way of testing her opponent.

They traded, blow after blow, a deadly dance of blades moving faster than I could think. The attacker started getting heavy with his blows, eager to end the fight quickly before his anger consumed him, it seems.

She didn't even bother taking the initiative at offense now, opting to play at the attacker's anger and frustration.

With every swing, the attacker exerted incredible force; each and every one of them would have ended her, but she was better than that.

She ducked under a slash that would've decapitated her, stepping back whilst parrying another blow. Haruno continued to step back as the attacker continued to bombard her with swing after swing from his sword, each one parried or dodged entirely.

It was when her back hit the wall did I feel afraid, the attacker was too close for her swords to be effective.

She had nowhere to go now.

Instead of lashing out in an attempt to defend herself, she simply smirked.

 _She had a plan._

She ducked as the attacker sent an overhead slash, embedding his katana into the wooden wall.

 _So this was her plan all along._

His eyes grew wide as he struggled to pull out his katana. Haruno rose up and gave him the meanest sucker punch I've ever seen, the smack hitting him straight on the jaw, the sound of the punch resonating in the hall.

The punch forced the attacker to step back, holding his jaw with his free hand. His eyes turned deadly, as if it could pierce into someone's soul, stopping Haruno in her tracks from following up with a slash.

He snarled, the savagery of it was animalistic.

 _He fucking snarled. God, who does that?_

He flew forward faster than he was before, a vicious kick aimed at Haruno's abdomen, which she barely blocked, sending her flying forward, and her back hitting the floor hard. The sound of her swords clanking on the floor somewhere as she writhed in pain made me want to do something quick, or someone else was going to die.

 _Here goes nothing._

Adrenaline poured into my body, as I shot up and sprinted towards the attacker, unsheathing my knife as I prepared to bury it deep inside his skull.

I lunged at him, my knife aiming for the back of his head.

He turned, our eyes made contact before he grabbed me on the throat mid-air, halting me in my tracks. He stared at me, his eyes hollow and cold. It pierced my soul, but deep within his onyx orbs, there was something. Something I know too well.

 _The desire to live._

But it was either him or me.

I thrust my knife forward, nearly giving him a nasty cut on his arm, but he was faster than that.

He retracted his arm faster than I could cut it, before pulling me back close again and butted my head with his own.

I stepped back, the head-butt nearly knocking me out cold. I saw double as my feet were swept from beneath me, flooring me.

My attacker raised his katana, ready to bring it down on me.

 _It's gonna end this way…at least I tried…Forgive me, everyone._

Haruno shot up from behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist, locking him into a hold.

They both fell to the floor as the attacker thrashed around, his blade flying to the side in the process as he tried to get Haruno to break the hold.

But nothing was going to stop Haruno. Her face was tired but she never let go, the technique she used made sure that the hold wasn't going to break despite the attacker's superior strength.

The attacker thrashed violently, and on more than one occasion, I was afraid that he would've broken the hold and finished us both.

It took what seemed like forever before he stopped thrashing, the attacker was out cold.

Haruno let go of the attacker, far too tired to even push the attacker off of her. She would've been crushed by the attacker's slacked weight if I hadn't found it in myself to throw the attacker off of her and hoistered her up on her feet, to which she muttered a quick thanks.

We both leaned on the wall for a minute as we caught our breath, both of us watching my attacker for any movement, but none ever came.

 _He was out cold, definitely._

It was I who broke the trance we were in, finding a piece of rope somewhere in the pool area and coming back to tie his hands and legs securely. Haruno took her flashlight and flashed it towards the main building's roof before going back inside the hall and picking up her swords.

I sat on the floor, watching her and looking at my attacker every once in a while, checking if he stirred. Haruno sheathed her swords back on her belt before sitting beside me, breaking the silence that gathered up since the end of the battle.

"What were you doing here, Hikigaya-kun?" She asked, too tired to put on a façade.

I scoffed. "I was looking for you at the guard tower before I felt someone staring at me from here."

It was her turn to scoff. "You could've been killed, Hikigaya-kun." She said, eyes on the attacker still. "That was stupid, I'd never thought someone as logical as you would enter a building alone."

"Well, at least I'm still surprising you, aren't I?"

She giggled, before it turned into a full-blown laughter.

"Yukino-chan was right about you." She said, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. "You really are a lovable idiot."

Of course I am _…wait…what?_

I was about to ask her what she meant when three figures ran into the room. Miura, Hayama, and Zaimokuza.

It was Hayama who broke the silence first.

"What the hell happened here?!" He nearly screamed as his eyes landed on the still knocked-out attacker on the floor.

"I was attacked, obviously." I shot up, the adrenaline gone from my features and a migraine starting to form from the headache.

'Attacked..? Here?" Zaimokuza asked, the shock making him drop the chuuni demeanor.

"Yes, luckily I was in the area when it happened." Haruno said, staring back at the attacker again. "Or else Hikigaya-kun would've been a dead man."

Hayama said nothing, nodding as he went over to the attacker, checking him. Zaimokuza followed him, picking up the attacker's katana and sheathe, inspecting them.

Miura hadn't said a word, instead kneeling by Haruno and started to check her for injuries, thankfully finding nothing. She then moved on to me.

"Are you hurt, Hiki?" She asked, her voice more gentle and motherly than it normally was.

She retrieved the small flashlight from the pouch beside her and checked my forehead, her hand gingerly touching my forehead where the attacker gave me the vicious head-butt.

I groaned in pain, to which Miura's hand immediately retracted and her face turned red.

"S-sorry." She stuttered, looking down bashfully.

 _Oi, are you deliberately trying to make me fall in love with you?_

She took out cream from the same pouch and applied some gently on the spot where the attacker's head made contact with mine.

I tried not to let my face turned red as she was absorbed in her work.

Her green eyes were focused, yet still alluring all the same. Her blonde hair fell gracefully down her shoulders. She was considered one of the most gorgeous girls in the school back then, the head female in Hayama's popular clique.

And her she was, wiping my forehead with soothing balm.

Haruno snickered at me, pretending not to notice Miura treating the sore spot on my forehead.

It was Hayama that brought our attention back.

"Let's bring him to the main building." He said, motioning Zaimokuza to help him lift the attacker. "Let's let Hiratsuka-sensei know before we do anything."

We all agreed at that, Zaimokuza and Hayama carried him over to the infirmary while I picked up the attacker's katana. I decided to go back to my room, still shell-shocked by what just happened.

I could've died.

He could've ended my life with a single blow while I was stunned from his kick.

But he didn't. Why?

I even saw pity in his eyes, guilt if I looked closer.

My mind tried to wrap itself around what just happened, why didn't he just kill me straight forward?

I don't know, and it hurt to just even think about it.

I was well on my way to my room when an arm stopped me from going anywhere. I turned around to see Miura, a look of annoyance adorned her face.

"Oi Hiki, you need to come with us to the clinic."

"…Why?"

"So we can be sure that you're fine."

"I'm fine."

Miura scowled. "No you're not." She said, tugging my arm to the clinic's direction.

I sighed, there was no escaping this, I could tell. I might as well just go along with it.

…

We arrived at the clinic within a minutes' notice, Hayama and Zaimokuza set the attacker down on the clinic's bed, surprising Shiromeguri-senpai who was still in the room.

"Hayama-kun? Zaimokuza-kun? Who's this?" Shiromeguri-senpai asked, a look of slight fear adorned her features as Hayama and Zaimokuza started tying him to the bed with the thick ropes I used earlier.

Miura still held my arm even though we reached the clinic, too busy staring at the attacker to notice that she still had a firm grip on me.

"Uh…Miura?" I called her name.

"Hm…?" She looked at me.

I signaled to her arm still clutching mine, eliciting a small shriek from her, her face started turning scarlet.

"S-sorry." She bashfully said, looking like she wanted to run out of the room.

"It's fine." I replied, walking over to the man on the bed.

The 'man' looked like he was around our age. His hair was slicked back, save a few strands of his bangs falling over his face. He was big, his muscular frame obvious even through the dark leather jacket. He wore dark blue jeans and black boots and nothing really else but that.

He was tall too, a bit taller than Hayama and sure to tower over me.

I held his katana, it was an incredibly ornate sword.

The handguard was covered in a bright red, stained here and there with black. The hand guard was made of a gold metal, whether it was real gold or not, I couldn't tell. It was designed ornately as well, the kanji symbol of flames carved into it.

What really caught my eye was the blade, it was longer than Haruno's long katana. The edge was incredibly sharp, though a few tiny cracks were visible among it. What really perked my interest was the red hue on the blade, as if it was covered in something familiar…

But it was indeed a fine sword, I could tell even though I didn't know much about such things, I sheathed it and gave it to Haruno, who took a look at it as well, looking impressed at what she's seeing.

Shiromeguri-senpai walked over to him with a needle, ready to inject the clear substance into the attacker before Hayama's hand stopped her.

"What are you doing, senpai?" He asked, brow raised.

"Oh relax, Hayama-kun." Shiromeguri-senpai smiled. "It's just sedatives that'll keep him asleep till the morning."

Shiromeguri-senpai injected him with the substance. Whether it worked or not, the attacker didn't move.

 _Which was a good thing, no doubt._

The door slid open as Hiratsuka-sensei stepped into the room; hand on the revolver that she always brought with her.

She was followed by Komachi, my dear imouto and still the reason for my existence, who rushed at me, nearly knocking me over as her tiny fists pounded my chest whilst yelling about how much of an idiot I am for nearly getting killed again.

Hiratsuka-sensei took a long look at the attacker, inspecting every feature on his unconscious form before turning to me.

"He attacked you?" Hiratsuka sensei asked. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." I replied, patting Komachi's head who was still holding on to me for dear life. "And yes, he attacked me."

Hiratsuka-sensei only nodded before turning back to the attacker. "Hm…"

"Hiratsuka-sensei, if I may." Hayama shot up, garnering her attention. "I think we should execute him, here and now."

The look of surprise was on everyone's faces save from Haruno's who smirked at that and Hiratsuka-sensei's who only raised a brow. _Never in a million years did I think I would hear that from Hayama, the perfect boy, the good guy._

"Oh? Why do you think so, Hayama-kun?" Asked Haruno, a dangerous smirk on her face that told Hayama to start explaining.

Hayama stared back, the small smile he usually had for everyone gone and now replaced with a thin line. "Aside from trying to kill Hikigaya-kun, he presents a threat to our lifestyle and existence." He stated, the usual joyful demeanor now gone.

Haruno was about to retort when Hiratsuka-sensei stopped her with a raised hand before turning to me. "What do you think, Hikigaya?" she asked. "Do _you_ think we should execute him?"

All the attention in the room was directed at me as I struggled to come up with a logical answer.

 _While it is true that we cannot take chances, I don't think that we should execute him right away. I said. He could've killed me. He could've ended my life then and there at that moment, but he didn't. I saw it in his eyes, pity, guilt. He was just like me, simply struggling to live a life worth living despite the circumstances. It would be unfair to condemn him to die when he himself didn't try to kill me save the end when he was enraged._

"No." I replied. "He deserves a chance to at least speak for himself before we do anything."

Hayama looked enraged at that. "This is madness!" He screamed. "What if he escapes and kill us all as we sleep?!"

Everyone stared in surprise at his outburst; Hiratsuka-sensei was about to reply but Haruno beat her to it.

"I also think that he should at least get a chance to speak." She said, staring at the attacker. "Besides, I think I know him."

My eyebrow raised at that, bringing many questions to my ever-tired mind. It was Hiratsuka-sensei who beat me to the question.

"You know him, Haruno?" a puzzled look occupying Hiratsuka-sensei's face. "How?"

Haruno pouted, "He seems vaguely familiar, but I can't seem to place it." She said. "But yes, I think I've seen him somewhere."

Hiratsuka-sensei simply nodded, before saying we were dismissed. Hayama was the first to storm out of the door, furious.

 _I've never seen him lose his temper so badly and talk back to Haruno._

Haruno on the other hand only yawned, saying goodnight to everyone before walking to her own room, still clutching the attacker's katana.

Hiratsuka-sensei turned to Shiromeguri-senpai, telling her to make sure that the attacker was dosed enough to last through the night.

I turned once more to the attacker who was still unconscious, his face was at complete serenity, unlike the enraged, charging monster he was earlier.

I yawned and grabbed my sister's hand, walking out of the room as I could still hear Hiratsuka-sensei and Shiromeguri-senpai's voice. I brought my sister back to her own room before marching to mine, alone.

I didn't even bother to change, I was too tired to.

I collapsed on my futon, my mind did a quick scan of the day before sleep took me.

…

 **AN:**

 **Sorry it took a while guys, but I've been a bit busy these past few days.**

 **Here you guys go, the second chapter. A bit longer than the first.**

 **I'm finishing this story guys, don't worry. It'll take my death for the updates to stop.**

 **As usual review and tell me what you guys think or not. That's entirely up to you.**


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